An unemployed man admitted to stealing a tourist’s purse on a bus last month, with the incident being caught on a butcher's CCTV. 

Romanian national Ciobanu Neculai, 54, was sentenced to a six-month jail term suspended for three years after Magistrate Charmaine Galea heard how he had stolen a purse containing cash, documents and credit cards.

The accused had also subsequently attempted to fraudulently make use of the cards. 

Prosecuting officers Inspectors Matthew Galea and George Frendo said that the theft had occurred on a bus trip between Ghadira and Buġibba on July 11, with the CCTV camera of a nearby butcher's shop capturing the incident.

The footage was submitted as evidence. 

The stolen purse contained some €55 in cash, while the transaction the accused had attempted to carry out amounted to €19.19, however, this had been rejected and the funds were never withdrawn from the account. 

Assisted by lawyer Jason Grima, Neculai pleaded guilty to the charges and reconfirmed his plea after the magistrate gave him time to reconsider.

The prosecution had no recommendations to make in terms of punishment but asked the court to order the accused to return the stolen money to the victim.

The court found Neculai guilty and sentenced him to six months imprisonment suspended for three years. He was also ordered to return the stolen cash.